The Globe and Mail to Roll Out Digital Paywall Next Week

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The Globe and Mail to Roll Out Digital Paywall Next Week

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The Globe and Mail plans to implement a metered digital paywall starting next week:

The Globe and Mail will roll out its digital subscription package on Oct. 22, providing free online access to most print subscribers and allowing casual readers access to 10 articles a month on its website.

The newspaper announced plans in May to build a metered paywall system, citing the need to boost revenue as the advertising market fluctuates. Publishers across North America have enacted similar plans, largely emboldened by the online success of The New York Times, the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Current subscribers will get unlimited access, weekend-only subscribers will pay $4.99/month and standalone subscriptions will cost you $19.99/month. We wonder how the paywall will affect users of the Globe and Mail News iPhone app (along with their other specialized news apps), which most likely will be updated soon to reflect changes. Most users have felt let down by the current app which has deteriorated, as noted in reviews within iTunes.

The Globe and Mail cites the success of the New York Times and their digital paywall. For comparisons sake, the NYT charges $15/month for all digital access from any device including their iPhone app. Recently, the Postmedia Network introduced a paywall for its daily newspapers as well.

Is the $19.99/month digital price for The Globe and Mail too expensive? Will you be subscribing?